JP3104045B2 - Work alignment device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a work aligning apparatus for aligning works conveyed by a conveyor device or the like in a row or column arrangement having a predetermined interval, and in particular, a positioning hole formed in a wheel for an automobile or the like. The present invention relates to a work aligning apparatus for aligning a set work.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a work having positioning holes formed therein, such as an automobile wheel manufactured in a casting process or the like, is carried out from the casting process by a conveyor device or the like and transferred to a next process such as a trimming process. It is. Incidentally, the work carried out by the conveyor device needs to be arranged in a row or column arrangement having a predetermined interval in order to facilitate processing in the next step.

[0003] In such a case, conventionally, a work conveyed by a conveyor device or the like is separated by a predetermined distance.
Alternatively, after branching into multiple columns, apply a stopper etc. sequentially from the first work to stop the work, align it in a row array with a predetermined width interval, and use a transfer means such as a manipulator etc. I was reprinting.

However, in such a conventional apparatus, it is necessary to sequentially stop the works conveyed by a conveying device such as a conveyer from the leading side. A transfer device such as a manipulator had to be on standby, which was one of the causes of a reduction in the equipment operation rate. In addition, with the recent low-mix, high-mix production, the number of workpieces produced in a single production process has been diversified. However, even if the type of workpiece changes, it is possible to immediately respond to this change in workpiece. There is a demand for a work alignment device having a simple structure.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems and needs, and has as its object to align workpieces having positioning holes, such as automobile wheels. In the work alignment device,
Even if the outer diameter of the work or the diameter of the positioning hole changes, the work can be arranged in a row or column arrangement at a predetermined interval,
Another object of the present invention is to provide a work aligning apparatus having a simple structure in which a stop time for alignment is short, and a decrease in an operation rate due to a stoppage of equipment operation can be prevented.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a work aligning apparatus according to the present invention provides a work for aligning works having positioning holes conveyed by a conveyor device or the like in a row or column arrangement at predetermined intervals. In the alignment device,
The work W is stopped and stopped by a work stopper provided at an end portion of the conveyor device for stopping the work to be conveyed and a regulating member for regulating movement of the work in the left-right direction.
A work arrangement means for arranging, a guide pin having a needle-like head positioned below the work arranged and stopped by the work arrangement means and capable of passing a positioning hole of the work, and attaching the guide pin to the work. A plurality of work holding means comprising lifting means for raising and lowering the work toward the workpiece, and a work holding portion for holding the work centered by the guide pins; and Gap adjusting means for adjusting the gap between the guide pins so as to be positioned below the positioning holes of the works arranged and stopped, and the work held by the work holding means to a predetermined position together with the work holding means. A work transfer means for transferring, a connecting member slidably connecting the work holding means, and a predetermined distance And a work aligning means comprising an urging means for urging the work holding means against the stopper together with the movement of the work holding means by the work transfer means. Things.

The gap adjusting means has a plurality of types of blocks having different widths, and a block changing means for appropriately replacing the blocks interposed between the work holding means. The gap between the work holding means may be adjusted by replacing the block body interposed between the work holding means with another block body having an appropriate width.

[0008]

Since the present invention is configured as described above,
It works as follows. A work having positioning holes, such as an automobile wheel, conveyed from a casting apparatus or the like by a conveyor apparatus is stopped and arranged by a regulating member and a work stopper of work arrangement means provided at the end of the conveyor apparatus. You. Below the workpieces stopped and arranged at the end of the conveyor device by the workpiece arranging means, a plurality of workpiece holding means for taking out the workpieces from the conveyor device are on standby, and a guide having a needle-like head is provided. A pin is located below the positioning hole of the work. When the guide pin is lifted by the elevating means, the guide pin is inserted through the positioning hole of the work to center the work, and then the work is held by the work holding unit. The work held by the work holding unit is transported to a predetermined portion together with the work holding means by the work transfer means.

Since each of the work holding means is slidably connected via a connecting member, when the work holding means starts moving by the work transfer means, each work holding means is biased by the urging means. As a result, the sliding member slides on the connecting member and comes into contact with a stopper provided at a predetermined interval on the connecting member. Accordingly, the workpieces held by the workpiece holding means are arranged such that the intervals thereof are widened and arranged in a row array having a predetermined interval. Thereafter, the work is lowered by the elevating means and transferred to a jig or the like in the next process, and the work holding means, which has transferred the work to the jig or the like, is moved to the end of the conveyor device to transport the next work. Return to. At this time, when it is necessary to adjust the gap between the guide pins because the outer diameter of the work and the inner diameter of the positioning hole are different from those of the preceding work, the gap of the work holding means is adjusted by the gap adjusting means so that the guide pin is moved. The work is stopped by the arranging means and can be positioned below the positioning holes of the arranged work. If the gap adjustment is performed by using a plurality of types of block bodies having different widths, the block body interposed between the work holding units is replaced with another block body having an appropriate width, whereby the work holding unit The gap can be adjusted appropriately.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a description will be given assuming that six works are arranged in two rows arranged with a predetermined width interval. 1 is a side view of the work aligning apparatus according to the present invention, with a part thereof cut away, FIG. 2 is a view in the direction of the arrow X in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating the structure of the moving plate, and FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of an essential part for explaining the operation of the work holding means for taking out the work from the conveyor device.
6 is an enlarged view of a main part for explaining the operation of the work alignment means.

The work aligning device 1 of the present invention is provided at the end of a conveyor device 3 for transporting a work W having positioning holes, such as an automobile wheel cast in a casting step or the like. A work arrangement means A for arranging and stopping the work W conveyed by means of right and left, and centering the work W arranged by the work arrangement means A with a guide pin 10 having a needle-like head. Thereafter, work holding means B, B,... Which are taken out of the conveyor device 3 and are mounted and held on a mounting table 18 which is a work holding portion, and provided adjacent to the conveyor device 3 and provided with a work W A work aligning section 8 having jigs 4, 4,... For placing the work W at predetermined intervals for the processing of the work, and the work holding means B,
.. Are moved to move the work W, and the work holding means B is moved by the work transfer means D to widen a gap between the work W placed on the mounting table 18 and thereby to a predetermined position. The work alignment part 8 is held at an interval.
Work alignment means E for transferring the work W to the jigs 4, 4,..., And positioning holes W of the work W arranged at the end of the conveyor device 3 by the work arrangement means A
a (see FIG. 4) so that the guide pin 10 of the work holding means B can be positioned below the work holding means B, B,.
And a gap adjusting means C for keeping a predetermined width interval. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of each means will be described.

First, a description will be given of a work arranging means A for arranging and stopping the work W conveyed by the conveyor device 3 by branching left and right. As shown in FIG. 2, the work arranging means A is formed near the end of the conveyor device 3 and partitions the center of the transfer path of the work W left and right.
And the work W being conveyed is erected on both sides of this conveyor conveyance device along the conveyance path of the work W,
And a work stopper 5 provided at an end of the conveyor device 3 for stopping the transfer of the work W when the work W comes into contact with the control member 2b. At the end of the conveyor device 3, a mounting table 1 which communicates with the jigs 4 and 4 of the work aligning section 8 and on which the guide pins 10 of the work holding means B and the work W are mounted.
A groove 7 is formed so that the groove 8 can come and go.

According to the above aspect, the work W conveyed on the conveyor device 3 is branched into left and right flows by the partition member 2a, and has two rows of flows substantially equal to the row spacing of the jigs 4, 4,. To the end of the conveyor device 3. When the first work W comes into contact with the work stopper 5 and stops, the following work W comes into contact with the first work W one after another and stops, and the movement in the left-right direction is regulated by the regulating member 2b. The works W are arranged by the work arrangement means A in two rows arranged at substantially the same intervals as the rows of the jigs 4, 4,...

Next, the construction of the work holding means B and the work transport means D for moving the work holding means B from the conveyor device 3 to the work alignment section 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a front view for explaining the configuration of the moving plate on which the work holding means B is mounted. The work alignment device 1 according to this embodiment includes a work W
Moving plates 1 arranged in parallel along the transport direction of
4, 14 ', 14 "(see FIG. 1), but the main structure remains the same, so that the moving plate 1 disposed at the center is
3 is shown in FIG. 3, and the other moving plates 14, 1
Detailed illustration of 4 ″ is omitted.

Attach work holding means B, B,.
The moving plates 14, 14 ′, 14 ″ are slidably mounted on guide rails 35, 35 provided between columns 9, 9 that support the work alignment device 1 from both ends. 3, two work holding means B, B are attached near both ends of the moving plate 14 ', and the two work holding means B, B are provided on the jig 4 of the work alignment section 8. , 4 are attached to the moving plate 14 ′ so as to have an interval equal to the row interval between the work holding means B and the work holding means B when the work holding means B is moved to the work alignment section 8 by the work transfer means D. , B mounting table 18
Can be transferred to the jigs 4 and 4 of the work alignment unit 8.

The work holding means B includes a guide pin 10 for centering the work W through the positioning holes Wa of the work W arranged by the work arrangement means A, and a work W centered by the guide pin 10. Mounting table 1 for mounting
8, an air cylinder 11 fixed to the moving plate 14 'and serving as an elevating means for elevating and lowering the mounting table 18 and the guide pins 10; And a guide member 12 for guiding the guide pin 10 and the mounting table 18 to be able to move up and down in the vertical direction. Further, the guide pin 10 has a needle-shaped head 10a formed so as to be easily inserted into the positioning hole Wa of the work W, a small-diameter portion 10b formed below the head 10a, and a small-diameter portion 10b. And a large-diameter portion 10d formed below through a tapered portion 10c. The large-diameter portion 10d is mounted on the mounting table 18.
In order to prevent the work W placed on the work W from being shifted left and right, the diameter of the work W must be slightly smaller than the positioning hole Wa within a range in which the shift is allowed.

The work transfer means D for moving the work holding means B having the above structure to the work aligning section 8 includes an air cylinder 6 as a driving source provided on the conveyor device 3 side of the work aligning apparatus 1, 6, one end of which is connected to a telescopic cylinder rod 6a, which is moved forward and backward by the telescopic movement of the cylinder rod 6a, and through which brackets 16, 16 'provided at substantially the center of the lower surface of the movable plates 14, 14' are inserted. And the other end is fixed to a bracket 16 "provided substantially at the center of the moving plate 14".
And stoppers 33 and 34 provided on the connecting member 30 at appropriate intervals. According to the above-described embodiment, the movable plates 14 and 14 'can slide on the connecting member 30, and the movable plate 14 "can move forward and backward integrally with the connecting member 30 as the cylinder rod 6a expands and contracts.

Next, according to FIG.
The work W placed and held on the mounting table 18 of B .... is widened and held at a predetermined interval so that the work W can be transferred to the jigs 4 of the work alignment unit 8. The configuration of the work alignment means E for aligning W will be described. The work aligning means E includes stoppers 33 and 34 provided on the connecting member 30 at appropriate intervals, the moving plate 14 ″ and the moving plate 1.
4 ', which is attached to the upper surface of the moving plate 14 and the moving plate 14' by applying an urging force to the adjacent moving plate 14 and the moving plate 14 '.
Air cylinders 31 and 32 are used as urging means for pressing 4 'against stoppers 33 and 34. The distance between the stoppers 33, 34 is such that when the movable plates 14, 14 'slide on the connecting member 30 and come into contact with the stoppers 33, 34, they are attached to the movable plates 14, 14', 14 ". Must be determined so that the intervals between the works W held by the held work holding means B, B,... Are equal to the width intervals between the jigs 4, 4,. It is preferable that the fixing members 33 and 34 are fixed to the connecting member 30 with bolts or the like, and the fixing positions can be finely adjusted by loosening the bolts as necessary.

Finally, the gap between the work holding means B, B,... Is adjusted according to the change in the outer diameter of the work W or the inner diameter of the positioning hole Wa. Work holding means B, B ...
The gap adjusting means C that allows the guide pin 10 to be always positioned below the positioning hole Wa of the work W will be described. The guide pin 10 of the work holding means B which stands by below the work W arranged by the work arrangement means A,
The work W must be positioned below the positioning hole Wa so that the work W can be centered through the positioning hole Wa of the work W when the work W is raised toward the work W by driving the air cylinder 11.

For this reason, the work aligning apparatus 1 in this embodiment is provided with a positioning stopper 36 on one side as a reference for positioning the work holding means B, B,... The stop positions of the movable plates 14, 14 ', and 14 "are determined. That is, between the positioning stopper 36 and the movable plate 14, positioning for determining the initial position of the movable plate 14 is performed. The block body 27 is provided between the moving plate 14 and the moving plate 14 ', and between the moving plate 14' and the moving plate 14 "for gap adjustment for determining the gap between the moving plates 14, 14 'and 14". The block bodies 21 and 21 are interposed.

The work alignment device 1 is provided with a work W
The initial position of the moving plate 14 and the moving plates 14, 14 ', 14 "even if the outer diameter of the moving plate 14 or the inner diameter of the positioning hole Wa changes.
In order to be able to cope with the gap between them, the positioning block 27 and the gap adjusting block 22 having different widths from the positioning block 27 and the gap adjusting block 21 are used. A body 20 is provided.

The structure of the gap adjusting means C will be described below with reference to FIGS. The block body 21 for gap adjustment and the block body 20 for gap adjustment smaller than the block body 21 are provided on one side of the movable plates 14 'and 14 ", and the block body 27 for positioning and the block body 27 for the positioning. The wide positioning block 22 is the moving plate 1.
4 is rotatably attached to one side via attachment members 23 and 24, respectively. Reference numerals 25 and 26 in the figure denote support shafts 25b and 2 on the movable plates 14, 14 'and 14 ", respectively.
6b so as to be swingable, and to allow the respective block bodies 20, 21, 22, 27 to be rotatable,
It is an air cylinder as an exchange means for exchanging the block bodies 21 and 27 and the other block bodies 20 and 22.
The cylinder rods 25a,
The tip of 26a is connected to the eccentric position of the mounting members 23, 24, and the rotation of each of the blocks 20, 21, 22, 27 via the mounting members 23, 24 by the expansion and contraction of the cylinder rods 25a, 26a. Movement. In addition, reference numerals 28 and 29 in FIG.
Is a restricting member for restricting each block body 20, 21, 22, 27 from rotating beyond a predetermined angle by driving.

The operation of the work aligning apparatus 1 of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described. The work W conveyed by the conveyor device 3 is a partition member 2 constituting the work arrangement means A.
At a, the flow is branched right and left, and abuts a work stopper 5 provided at the end of the conveyor device 3 to stop the conveyance. Subsequent workpieces W come into contact with the first workpiece W one after another and the transport thereof is stopped, and the movement in the left-right direction is restricted by the regulating member 2b and the partition member 2a, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. Are arranged one by one on the left and right.

Below the works W stopped and arranged by the work arranging means A, work holding means B, B,... For taking out the work W from the conveyor device 3 and holding the same are waiting. Blocks 21 and 27 are interposed between the movable plates 14, 14 ', 14 "for attaching the work holding means B, B,... And the positioning stopper 36, and are located below the positioning holes Wa of the work W. Guide pin 1
0 is located. When the air cylinder 11 for raising and lowering the guide pin 10 is driven, the guide pin 10 is inserted through the positioning hole Wa through the groove 7 of the conveyor device 3 to center the work W. The centered work W is mounted on a mounting table 18 provided below the guide pins 10.

Next, when the air cylinder 6 of the work transfer means D for moving the work holding means B, B,... To the work alignment section 8 is driven, the cylinder rod 6a is extended and the connecting member 30 is moved to the work alignment section 8. Move to the side. Moving plate 1
Since 4 ″ is fixed to the tip of the connecting member 30, it starts moving toward the work aligning section 8 with the movement of the connecting member 30, and the movable plates 14, 14 slidably attached to the connecting member 30. 'Starts moving sequentially when stoppers 33 and 34 provided on the connecting member 30 abut against the brackets 16 and 16'.
The cylinder rods 31a, 31a are extended by the driving of the first and the first 31, and the moving plate 14 is pressed against the stopper 33 and the moving plate 14 'is pressed against the stopper 34, so that the work held by the work holding means B, B,. W is the work alignment unit 8
Are arranged with an interval equal to the width interval of the jigs 4, 4. In addition, moving plates 14, 14 '
Are pressed against the stoppers 33, 34 of the connecting member 30, the sliding of the moving plates 14, 14 'in the connecting member 30 is regulated, so that the work holding means B, B,. Move to work alignment unit 8.

The work holding means B, B,... Moved to below the work aligning portion 8 abuts on a cylinder rod 37a of a shock absorber 37 as a stopper provided on the other side of the work aligning device 1, and Rod 3
7a is degenerated and stopped. This shock absorber 3
7 absorbs and reduces the impact when the movement of the workpiece holding means B, B,... Stops, thereby preventing the apparatus from being broken and the workpiece W placed on the mounting table 18 from falling off or being displaced. There is.

Next, the air cylinder 1 of the work holding means B
1 is re-driven to lower the work W mounted on the mounting table 18, and the work W held by the work holding means B, B,. Transfer.
After the work W is transferred to the jigs 4, 4,..., The guide pin 10 is lowered to the lowermost position, and the urging of the air cylinders 31, 31 to the moving plates 14, 14 'is released. By driving the air cylinder 6, the cylinder rod 6
are retracted, and the work holding means B are returned to the conveyor device 3 side.

At this time, the next work W is stopped and arranged at the end portion of the conveyor device 3 by the work arrangement means A.
The outer diameter or the inner diameter of the positioning hole Wa is smaller than that of the work W previously transferred to the work W, and the guide pin 10 may be located below the positioning hole Wa of the work W in the gap adjusting block body 21. If not, the air cylinder 26 is driven to lower the gap adjusting block 21 and the positioning block 27, and the air cylinder 25 is driven to reduce the width of the block 20 and the block 20 smaller than the block 21. Each of the moving plates 14 and 1 is raised by raising the block 22 having a width larger than that of the block 27.
4 ', 14 "and the positioning stopper 36.

Therefore, the movable plates 14, 14 ', 14 "which return to the conveyor device 3 together with the connecting member 30 are first brought into contact with the end surface of the positioning stopper 36 by the positioning block 22 of the movable plate 14. Moving plate 14
Is determined and stopped, and a movable plate 14 'is provided on the movable plate 14 and a movable plate 14 "is provided on the movable plate 14' one after another with a gap adjusting block body 20 interposed therebetween. Therefore, the workpiece W is arranged and stopped by the work arrangement means A.
The work holding means B, B.
The guide pin 10 is located.

In the above-described embodiment, two types of blocks 20 and 21 having different sizes are provided on the movable plates 14, 14 'and 14 ". However, three or more types of blocks 20 and 21 are provided. By providing interchangeable types of block bodies for gap adjustment, it is possible to handle all kinds of workpieces with different outer diameters and inner diameters of positioning holes.
It goes without saying that the versatility of the work alignment device 1 can be improved. In the above embodiment, the blocks 20 and 21 are used as the gap adjusting means. However, other means such as a cylinder may be used as long as the gap between the moving plates 14, 14 'and 14 "can be adjusted. Further, in the above embodiment, the air cylinders 31 and 32 are used as the urging means for pressing the movable plates 14 and 14 'against the stoppers 33 and 34, but the urging means is not limited to this. The present invention is not limited to this.
May be a coil spring that urges the stoppers 33 and 34 side.

In the above-described embodiment, a plurality of works are arranged in two rows arranged at a predetermined interval. However, the work conveyed by the conveyor device can be branched into a plurality of rows. However, it is needless to say that the work can be aligned in a plurality of rows by providing the work holding means corresponding to the number of branches on the moving plate.

[0032]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above, works having positioning holes, such as automobile wheels, can be arranged in a row or column arrangement with a predetermined distance from the conveyor device, and In addition, when transferring a work from the conveyor device to a jig or the like in the next process, the alignment and transfer of the work can be performed continuously, and the stop time of the device can be reduced. Further, since the work alignment device of the present invention has a very simple structure, it can be manufactured at a low cost, can reduce the number of failures, and can easily perform maintenance and inspection of the device. Further, the work alignment device of the present invention can quickly cope with various works having different outer diameters and inner diameters of the positioning holes, and can greatly increase the versatility of the device. Therefore, according to the work aligning apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to improve the equipment operation rate and reduce the work load on the operator, and it is possible to realize a reduction in the manufacturing cost by greatly reducing the equipment cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view in which a part of a work alignment device according to the present invention is cut away.

FIG. 2 is a view in the direction of the arrow X in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating a configuration of a moving plate.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part for explaining the operation of a work holding means for taking out stopped and arranged works from a conveyor device.

FIG. 5 is a view as seen in the direction of the arrow Y in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a main part for explaining the operation of the work alignment means.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List A work arrangement means B work holding means C gap adjustment means D work transport means E work alignment means W work Wa positioning holes 1 work alignment device 2a partition member 2b regulating member 3 conveyor device 4 jig 5 work stopper 6 air cylinder 7 groove 8 Work alignment part 9 Support 10 Guide pin 11 Air cylinder (elevating / lowering means) 12 Guide member 14, 14 ', 14 "Moving plate 15 Bracket 16, 16', 16" Bracket 18 Mounting table 20, 21 Block body (for gap adjustment) 22, 27 Block body (for positioning) 23, 24 Mounting member 25, 26 Air cylinder (replacement means) 28, 29 Restriction member 30 Connecting member 31, 32 Air cylinder (biasing means) 33, 34 Stopper 35 Guide rail 36 Positioning Stopper 37 for shock absorber

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Nobuo Motomura 1907 Hirata-cho, Suzuka-shi, Mie Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Suzuka Works Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-56-82156 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65G 47/22-47/32 B65G 47 / 88-47/92

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A work alignment device for aligning work having positioning holes carried by a conveyor device or the like in a row or column arrangement at a predetermined interval, wherein the work provided at the end portion of the conveyor device is stopped. The work W is stopped by the work stopper and the regulating member for regulating the movement of the work in the left-right direction,
A work arrangement means for arranging, a guide pin having a needle-like head positioned below the work arranged and stopped by the work arrangement means and capable of inserting a positioning hole of the work, and attaching the guide pin to the work. A plurality of work holding means comprising lifting means for raising and lowering the work toward the workpiece, and a work holding portion for holding the work centered by the guide pins; and Gap adjusting means for adjusting the gap between the guide pins so as to be positioned below the positioning holes of the works arranged and stopped, and moving the work held by the work holding means to a predetermined portion together with the work holding means. Work transfer means for transferring, a connecting member slidably connecting the work holding means,
A stopper provided at a predetermined interval on the connecting member, and a work aligning unit comprising: a biasing unit that biases the work holding unit toward the stopper with movement of the work holding unit by the work transfer unit; A work alignment device, comprising: 2. The gap adjusting means includes a plurality of types of block bodies having different widths, and a block body exchanging means for appropriately exchanging a block body interposed between the work holding means. 2. The work aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gap between the work holding means is adjusted by replacing a block body interposed between the work holding means with another block body having an appropriate width.